The Snowgates Didn’t Work This Time: Here’s Why

It's become something we expect in Sioux Falls: watching the snow plow go in front of our homes while the snowgate is lowered to keep a pile of snow from being dumped on our driveways.

Unfortunately the condition of the snow from the blizzard last weekend (April 14, 15) proved to be too much for a large portion of the 23 snowgates in the city. The heavy, wet snow freezing into solid chunks of ice were the breaking point for many of the snowgates.

Galen Huber from the City of Sioux Falls said within a few hours on Saturday (April 14) eight to ten of the snowgates were broken or failing, some only being held by a couple of bolts. With a repair time of approximately three hours for each broken snowgate, the decision was made to discontinue their use for the remainder of the snow removal session.

A Sioux Falls city ordinance says snowgate use can be discontinued if it is deemed necessary, and for the first time, the decision was made to make use of that clause. Huber says the snowgates have worked perfectly in ten inches of snow, however the snow was light and powdery.

Zone one core snow pickup is scheduled for 1:00 to 6:00 AM Tuesday (April 17). Any vehicles parked in zone one during that time are subject to ticketing and towing.

Snow pick up is continuing 24/7 until done and should be done by Wednesday (April 18), unless new snowfall requires street treatments.